THC-infused beverages will now be available at special events in the United Center, the home of the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Blackhawks, which some experts suggest may pave the way for other arenas to do the same.
These drinks can be sold outside of state-legal recreational dispensaries because they are part of the hemp-derived cannabis market that is currently legal on the federal level.
Infused beverages by the Illinois cannabis brand Rythm as well as Señorita will be available at the Boyz II Men concert on 4 February, according to Rich Schepp, general manager of beverage at Green Thumb Industries. Prices will be in line with those of other “premium spirits” at the United Center, or in the $15-$20 range.
As for cannabis drinks expanding to sporting events and other arenas, Schepp said it was “going to take a little bit more discussion with some of the sport leagues, because the NHL does not currently want THC products sold at their games”, but added he was hopeful “that stance will change” in the near future.
Since Green Thumb Industries is headquartered in Chicago, Schepp said that he hads been talking to venues all over Cook county and was especially excited to sell at the United Center. Concert venues are eager to get on board because they know people are already showing up to their events high, Schepp noted.
“Whether it’s consuming cannabis or an edible, before they head into a venue or bar, we all know that’s happening. Smoking within the venue is something that venues don’t love but they see that consumers are reaching for these cannabis products,” he said.
When the venues realize there’s a way for them to profit from their customers’ cannabis use, they tend to be enthusiastic about the idea. But Schepp said many venues were not yet aware that they can legally sell THC drinks – though once they realize that THC drinks can be legally sold “outside of the dispensary channel”, he added that the conversation turns toward safety.
Schepp said he first explains that “THC that is derived from hemp is fundamentally the same as THC that is derived from cannabis”, but that “where that THC is coming from really changes the downstream route to market and where these products can be sold”.
The primary discussion is usually ensuring that customers don’t mistake a THC drink for either an alcoholic drink or a juice – meaning venue staff must be trained on how to make that abundantly clear to customers.
Dr Peter Grinspoon, a cannabis specialist and instructor at Harvard Medical School, said it was also very important that people don’t drive home from the venue after consuming THC, which is also true about the alcoholic beverages that are typically available at stadiums. Grinspoon noted that his biggest safety concern was that people will mix THC and alcohol, instead of substituting one for the other, adding to an already high level of impairment – particularly since people tend to overdo it at sporting events.
Beyond that, Grinspoon said he imagined THC beverages might actually make sporting events safer. While alcohol can act as a “social lubricant”, it can also make people more belligerent, especially at concerts or sporting events. THC can help people “enjoy watching sports because it helps them sort of see the nuances and kind of, you know, view it kind of from a slightly altered consciousness in a very different way than alcohol”, Grinspoon said. Over-consuming THC tends to make people quieter, while over-consuming alcohol tends to make people louder.
The United Center’s sale of THC beverages might be short-lived if a hemp ban passed as part of last year’s discretionary spending bill goes through as planned next November. But it’s unclear what impact that will have, given that states already defy federal law when it comes to cannabis.
Jonathan Miller, general counsel for the US Hemp Roundtable, said it was very possible “states will continue to be permissive when the federal government is prohibitory”. Miller pointed out that Chicago in particular made an exception to allow THC drinks even as its city council banned other intoxicating hemp-derived products this month.
Legislation to extend the moratorium on the hemp ban has been introduced in the House and the Senate, Miller said, noting that could be included in other urgent agricultural bills related to tariffs. It was a “real possibility”, he said, that the legislation would pass to delay the hemp ban within a matter of weeks.
